The live search technique means that most people will find the results they are looking for before they finish typing their query, and it saves them the step of having to click a submit button to get their search results.

This functionality requires Javascript, but the search box still works normally if Javascript is not available.

This plugin is compatible with the xLanguage and WPML plugins for internationalization (i18n) of search results.

Filters

See filter_examples.php in
the plugin files for examples of how to use these filters. Remember, these filters only affect the
Dave’s WordPress Live Search display, not the normal WordPress search results or the posts themselves.

dwls_alter_results

dwls_attachment_thumbnail

dwls_post_title

dwls_the_excerpt

dwls_post_date

dwls_author_name

dwls_alter_result_template

dwls_post_custom

dwls_query_fields

Wish List

Features I want to implement in future releases:

“No results found” message (optional)

Screenshots

Demonstration of Dave's WordPress Live Search

Installation

Dave’s WordPress Live Search is a plugin that brings live search, sometimes called “autocomplete”, to your WordPress site. Many of the web’s most popular destinations use this technique so customers can get right to the information or products they’re after, and now you can deliver that same experience to your site’s visitors. Like WordPress itself, it’s designed to be simple to set up and use right away, but powerful and customizable for advanced users.

You can install the plugin right from WordPress itself by going to the Plugins section, clicking “Add New”, and searching for “Dave’s WordPress Live Search”. Click “install now” to add the plugin to your site. If you prefer to install the plugin manually, it’s available for download in the WordPress plugins directory.

After you install the plugin, go to the Settings menu and choose “Live Search”. Let’s take a look at the main “settings” tab, which controls how the plugin looks and behaves. The “Maximum Results to Display” option lets you limit the number of search results your users see. If you have a large site, you should set this to 5 or less or it might take a long time to display. Remember, your visitors can still click the “search” button like they normally would to get all the matching results. The “Minimum characters” option lets you choose how much people need to type before the plugin starts offering results. The longer you wait before showing results, the better the first set of results will be.

The “Results Direction” setting lets you choose whether the results should grow up or down from the search box. People are used to seeing the results underneath the box, but if space is tight on your site or blog, you should show them above the search box to make sure they fit on the screen.

You can also choose what’s included with the search results. They can include a thumnail image, excerpt, even who wrote the content and when. You may want to include the “View more results” link at the bottom of the search results, so users can click through to see more results.

Dave’s WordPress Live Search ships with three color schemes: gray, red, and blue. Advanced users and developers can use the other styling options to better match their site’s theme.

When you’re ready, save your changes, and Dave’s WordPress Live Search is ready to use. It automatically attaches itself to any search boxes in your theme, or any search widgets you add, giving your site’s visitors a better search experience with a minimum of fuss.

FAQ

Installation Instructions

Dave’s WordPress Live Search is a plugin that brings live search, sometimes called “autocomplete”, to your WordPress site. Many of the web’s most popular destinations use this technique so customers can get right to the information or products they’re after, and now you can deliver that same experience to your site’s visitors. Like WordPress itself, it’s designed to be simple to set up and use right away, but powerful and customizable for advanced users.

You can install the plugin right from WordPress itself by going to the Plugins section, clicking “Add New”, and searching for “Dave’s WordPress Live Search”. Click “install now” to add the plugin to your site. If you prefer to install the plugin manually, it’s available for download in the WordPress plugins directory.

After you install the plugin, go to the Settings menu and choose “Live Search”. Let’s take a look at the main “settings” tab, which controls how the plugin looks and behaves. The “Maximum Results to Display” option lets you limit the number of search results your users see. If you have a large site, you should set this to 5 or less or it might take a long time to display. Remember, your visitors can still click the “search” button like they normally would to get all the matching results. The “Minimum characters” option lets you choose how much people need to type before the plugin starts offering results. The longer you wait before showing results, the better the first set of results will be.

The “Results Direction” setting lets you choose whether the results should grow up or down from the search box. People are used to seeing the results underneath the box, but if space is tight on your site or blog, you should show them above the search box to make sure they fit on the screen.

You can also choose what’s included with the search results. They can include a thumnail image, excerpt, even who wrote the content and when. You may want to include the “View more results” link at the bottom of the search results, so users can click through to see more results.

Dave’s WordPress Live Search ships with three color schemes: gray, red, and blue. Advanced users and developers can use the other styling options to better match their site’s theme.

When you’re ready, save your changes, and Dave’s WordPress Live Search is ready to use. It automatically attaches itself to any search boxes in your theme, or any search widgets you add, giving your site’s visitors a better search experience with a minimum of fuss.

I love how easy it is to use! I just installed plugin and activated then it works! and I can also adjust its style. I just want to thank you for making this awesome plugin. It makes my website looks a lot cooler than before! 😀

When I try to activate the plugin, I get this error message “Plugin could not be activated because it triggered a fatal error. Fatal error: Cannot redeclare daves_wp_live_search_init() (previously declared in /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/uncode-daves-wordpress-live-search/uncode-daves-wordpress-live-search.php:33) in /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/wp-content/plugins/daves-wordpress-live-search/daves-wordpress-live-search.php on line 48”

I’ve deactivated it and tried again with no luck. Can you assist me? Thanks!

Really like the live search. I combined it with ‘Search shortcode’ to set up an home page on an intranet that looks pretty much lik G**gle. Nice work, well done.

Just a suggestion (no criticism)
To make it 100% perfect it would be nice if a future version could provide optional search and reset buttons. I made a search button through a simple css button but could not do clear because the .reset() will not work. Here ist is in case anyone feels the urge. Just add you favourite button css.